The present invention relates to mattresses and, more specifically, to apparatus that facilitate the transport or evacuation of a person on a mattress particularly when the mattress must be separated or removed from the bed frame that normally supports it.
Many facilities, such as healthcare and long-term care facilities, have a significant number of non-ambulatory patients or residents. Such individuals often spend a significant amount of time positioned on a mattress supported on a bed frame. Transport of non-ambulatory individuals can be problematic, particularly when it is not possible to use a wheeled bed frame, stretcher, or wheelchair to transport such individuals. Such may occur, for example in emergency situations in which elevators may not be available to transport the wheeled bed frames or conditions otherwise impede the mobility of the bed frame. Such situations may include for example, a weather-related emergency (such as a tornado or hurricane warning), natural disaster, or other emergency requiring the rapid evacuation of people from an area or a facility. An apparatus that assists in the transport of a person located on a mattress would be beneficial particularly in such events.